JOLIE LAIDE FOOTWEAR

by admin on May 13, 2014

suddenly, jolie laide footwear is all the rage. for summer, this stampede is lead by the iconic birkenstock. i remember when birkenstocks first hit the big time. i was living in san francisco and there was a little store on columbus ave. that sold nothing but birkies. i tried to love them, but somehow they were never comfortable on my foot. however, years later i discovered the french version: mephisto sandals. i had a wonderful pair in black suede. they looked for all the world like a more delicate birkenstock, but with a slight rise in the heel….just enough to make them the most comfortable sandals i have ever worn. after many years of service they finally wore out, and i think i have them stashed away in a box somewhere because i could not bear to part with them.

fast forward 20 years or so, and i have a light bulb moment: maybe they still make those mephistos! now one can search on-line, so i did. oh, so close and yet so far. they are named “heidi,” and ZAPPOS, AMAZON, and NORDSTROM carry them, but only in brown. esme is just not a brown sandal person. after hours at the computer, i finally located a few pairs in black—in canada and the u.k. one didn’t ship to the u.s., the other charged shipping that was prohibitively high. in the meantime i’ve ordered some mephistos with a toe-strap (helens). not exactly what i had in mind but i’m trying to be open to all possibilities.

ah, the highs and lows of a fashion quest….wouldn’t trade them for the world (well..maybe for a pair of black mephisto heidis).